The idea
Panto 2017 will be a mash-up of several pantos past. Joe and Marie are searching for a place to stay, but they’re turned away by the NHS, an Airbnb (run by Cindy and her ugly-on-the-inside sisters), and Jamie Oliver-Twist’s kitchen (run by orphans). Meanwhile, horrible Herod Trump and Melania are on a mission to steal the vulnerable couple’s unborn child. Can the community step in to save the day?
The production has once more been made possible through the hard work of dozens of volunteers, each as important as the last and unfortunately too many to name here. From costume to lighting to acting to singing, everybody works for free to make the Panto happen. Last year the panto raised money for the Shepherds Bush Families Project, Women’s Solace Aid and Great Ormond Street Hospital.
What we'll deliver
- Feed the cast and crew during rehearsals in the days leading up to and during the production
- To buy beautiful props, set and costume materials
- To pay for rent at The Tabernacle
Why it's a great idea
Since the Panto’s first production, this part of the world has changed in many ways, while the Panto has remained a steady and sparkling constant through it all. To this day, it brings all parts of the community together to sing, laugh and dance at Christmas. Nearly all of the kids in the show go to school within a one-mile radius of the Tabernacle. Most of the adults live locally or are constituents of the Notting Hill diaspora – people who grew up in and around the area but have since moved to other parts of the city. For them it remains an everlasting connection to this wonderful part of west London. As for the Tabernacle, this will be the tenth performance to take place on its stage. The Tab is an institution with a similar raison d’être to the Panto. It was founded to safeguard and celebrate Notting Hill’s vibrancy and to have fun while doing it.
Steps to get it done
- Build a diverse cast and crew, which will be a magical mixture of professionals and people from the local community
- Build the set, make the costumes and props
- Put on a beautiful, hilarious and spectacular production of The Naivety: A Journey
- Recruit a team of writers and develop/ workshop a new piece of writing
- Start rehearsals, including teaching the children exciting dance routines
